Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Message Matters - Media Matters Action Network

Wisconsin Fighting Back

Today in Wisconsin, six Republican politicians are facing recall for putting their corporate donors ahead of ordinary working people. These referendum elections are a wake-up call to Republicans everywhere who put their jobs and their donors before the rest of us and a reminder to all Americans that we all can fight back to make our lives better.
CORE MESSAGE

Politicians who take away our jobs don't deserve to keep theirs.

Connect: Our country needs more jobs, not less - and we've had enough of politicians who don't get it.

Define: Instead of looking out for working families and our seniors, Republican politicians in Wisconsin laid off our teachers and nurses so their rich campaign donors could get even richer.

Discredit: Firing people is no way to create jobs or help American families, in Wisconsin or anywhere else. Fewer people working means less money in our pockets and fewer customers for our small businesses.

Core values: Our leaders should put working people and seniors before their wealthy campaign donors. The people of Wisconsin are showing how it's done.
ATTACKS AND RESPONSES

"The recalls in Wisconsin are just a local story - we shouldn't be paying attention to them."

* The Wisconsin recall elections are a wake-up call to Republicans everywhere who put their jobs and their donors before the rest of us and a reminder to all Americans that we all can fight back to make our lives better.
* We are all better off when our leaders put the people who elected them first -- not the corporate donors who funded their campaigns. Just look at the recent stock market dives.
* All over Wisconsin, firefighters, bus drivers and bridge inspectors are joining teachers and nurses to take action and throw these Republicans out of office. They're leading the way and we should follow their example.

"Democrats are attacking Wisconsin Republicans for being fiscally responsible and doing the job they were elected to do."

* We elect our leaders to create jobs, not take away the good jobs that hard-working people already have. Instead Wisconsin Republicans slashed funding that keeps teachers in our classrooms and protects health care for working families and seniors.
* We can start solving our budget problems right now by telling millionaires and big corporations to pay their fair share and using the money to pay the Americans who keep our kids educated, our families healthy and our country running.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

* Six Republican state senators are now facing recall elections in Wisconsin after sparking a public backlash with their deeply unpopular proposals.
* A large majority of Americans oppose trying to fix budget deficits at the expense of ordinary, tax-paying workers who have done nothing wrong. Yet Wisconsin Republicans still laid off thousands of teachers and nurses and took away their right to even have a seat at the table in negotiating their workplace benefits and safety.
* Experts say that taking away hardworking Americans' seat at the negotiating table does nothing to address budget deficits.
* Most people agree we should raise taxes on millionaires and big corporations rather than cut funding for our schools and health care for struggling families. Yet Wisconsin Republicans are still slashing almost a billion dollars from Wisconsin schools and cutting health care for tens of thousands of low income Wisconsin families, children, and seniors.
* Powerful corporate CEOs have too much influence over the Wisconsin Republicans' agenda. The billionaire Koch brothers strongly supported Governor Walker's campaign to take away Wisconsin workers' rights. Now one of their front groups has donated over half a million dollars to help Republican state senators keep their jobs.
* It's not just Wisconsin voters who are fed up with Republican politicians -- nearly three-quarters of Americans disapprove of Washington Republicans' handling of the recent default crisis.
* Even though most Americans' top priority is putting Americans to work, Washington Republicans have tried to eliminate nearly 7 million jobs this year.

We develop messaging by aggregating, analyzing and distilling polling, tested messaging, and expert recommendations, and monitoring the media to identify what is and isn't working. See here for some of the experts and organizations we draw on.